ARGUMENTS FOR EVOLUTION 143 



hideous, and has saved among dogs and goldfish what 

 Nature would surely have rejected. Some of the do- 

 mesticated and cultivated varieties are so distinct that 

 did we not know their origin, they might pass for new 

 species, if not new genera. If man's selections, com- 

 bined no doubt with more or less crossing in most 

 groups, could produce such marked results within a 

 short time, what might Nature do in millions of years ? 

 In later years, Professor de Vries of Holland has called 

 attention to the phenomena of mutation, whereby a 

 species of plant, such as Lamarck's evening primrose, 

 may give rise to a series of distinct types which will 

 breed true. We do not call these species, because we 

 know their origin, yet some of them are as distinct as 

 admitted species, and if found isolated would be re- 

 garded as such. 



